No weddings, 2 funerals: My week in hell

I pray that this post may bring comfort, hope, and strength to all who are mourning at this time. Amen.

Here is the timeline:

Saturday, August 26th, 2017: My father – my best friend, my confidant, my sports buddy, my rock – suffered a sudden, debilitating stroke, sending him to the ICU. He was also diagnosed with pneumonia. My family and I spent the next several days with him at the hospital hoping for his recovery.

Monday, August 28th, 2017: My 20-year-old nephew suddenly died.

Wednesday, August 30th, 2017: My father passed away. (Later, I wrote a short article about the beautiful experience shared at my father’s funeral with family, friends, and strangers from the USAF Honor Guard and the Patriot Guard Riders.)

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

Two days later (Friday), we buried my nephew. Two days after that (Sunday), we buried my dad.

The sequence of events from my awful week in a living hell left me feeling as though I were being slammed from all directions, blind-sided and knocked down with a 2×4 to the chest every two days. Bam! Bam! Bam!

It seems impossible that one family can withstand such tremendous loss – the loss of its patriarch, coupled with the loss of one of the family’s precious young souls – all at once. How could it even be possible for each member of our family to individually withstand such sharp, excruciating pain? Yet, we all, my family and I, kept breathing. Every day, we pulled ourselves out of bed. Even my oldest sister, who lost her father and her son, kept going. I have watched body builder competitions, but I have not once witnessed an amount of strength equal to that of my family, and myself, during this tragic time. Our strength was, in a word, divine!

We weren’t breathing, moving, living beings on our own accord. It was God who carried us. It is He who continues to carry us as we endure deep mourning for our loved ones. For this I am grateful beyond words.

God is great! God is good! Though my faith was tried in this week of hell of earth, my faith remains unshaken! Glory to God in the highest! For, without my precious Lord, I would be but a seed tossed in the wind.

Let us remember II Corinthians 1:3-5, and praise our Lord of all comfort:

Remember to give your cares to the Lord. He will sustain you. HERE is a wonderful resource to assist you in times of struggle.